SOCI 425 Industrial Sociology I

Transcription

1 SOCI 425 Industrial Sociology I Session Two: Industrial Sociology, Relevance and Related Disciplines Lecturer: Dr. Samson Obed Appiah, Dept. of Sociology Contact Information: soappiah@ug.edu.gh College of Education School of Continuing and Distance Education 2014/ /2017

2 Lecture Overview Overview Industrial Sociology is not the only social science discipline interested in the study of work organizations. Other disciplines such as Industrial Psychology and Labour Economics. This session focus on the similarity and differences between Industrial Psychology and other disciplines as well as the relevance and career options in Industrial Sociology. Objective: At the end of the lecture, the student will be able to Identify how Industrial Sociology differs from Industrial Psychology and Labour Economics; Describe the relevance of Industrial Sociology to developing countries; Identify the career Options in Industrial Sociology; Explain the techniques of research employed in Industrial Sociology. Slide 2

3 Session Outline The key topics to be covered in this session are as follows: Topic One: Industrial Sociology and other Related Disciplines Topic Two: Relevance of Industrial Sociology to Developing countries Topic Three: Career Options in Industrial Sociology Topic Four: Techniques of Research in Industrial Sociology Slide 3

4 Topic One: Industrial Sociology and other Related Disciplines Disciplines such as Industrial Psychology, Labour Economics, Applied Anthropology, Industrial Relations among others are also interested in work and work organizations; However, the problem of study, methods of investigation and theoretical orientation differs significantly; Industrial sociologists are interested in the patterns, processes and products of social interactions and interrelations, their courses and implications for the individual, organization and the larger society; The other disciplines, though interested in industry, have different approaches from Industrial Sociology. Slide 4

5 Industrial Sociology and Industrial Psychology Industrial psychology deals with individual personal behaviour and problems in industry such as the selection of personnel, job satisfaction, internal motivation etc.; Industrial sociology on the other hand places emphasis on social or interactional factors such as human relation, social background of people, formal and informal relations and team work; There is no doubt that some of these problems may be common in both sociology and psychology, however, their view point and approaches are different; Even though one may relate social psychology to the study of groups, it must be pointed out that it does so from the point of view of its individual members. Slide 5

6 Industrial Sociology and Industrial Psychology Cont. Industrial Sociology does not ignore the individual rather, it argues that individual action or behaviour in organization must be understood within a particular social context; The difference between Industrial Sociology and Industrial Psychology lies in the fact that: Industrial Psychology is directly interested in the individual focusing on his/her problems at work; Whiles Industrial Sociology emphasized on social or interactional factors that influences workers in organization. Slide 6

7 Industrial Sociology and Labour Economics. Labour Economics is one of the social sciences concerned with the production, consumption and distribution of goods and services as well as the problems of finance, exchange etc. They have also increased our understanding of labour unions and how they influence their members; They are also concerned with the calculation of profit, capital, demand and supply; Labour Economics have thought of workers as a vast number of little economic men each forced by an inner feeling to seek the maximum way at a minimum effort. Slide 7

8 Industrial Sociology and Labour Economics Cont. Industrial Sociology on the other hand deals with the social context within which production, consumption and distribution of goods and services takes place; According to Industrial Sociologist, the worker is a social being and for this reason the social relations within the workplace is very important in understanding his or her behaviour; The arrival of Sociology therefore brought a shift in the study of industry Slide 8

9 Topic Two: Relevance of Industrial Sociology to Developing Economics Some scholars are of the view that Industrial Sociology is of relevance only to industrial societies; And since African societies are not yet regarded as industrialized, the discipline is of no relevance to them; One can attribute this notion to the fact that the emergence of industry is a recent phenomenon in African societies; It is however not correct that industrial sociology studies only industrial society; This is because like any value free discipline, it can have applications in both industrial as well as in pre-industrial societies. Slide 9

10 Relevance of Industrial Sociology to Developing Economics Cont. Industrial Sociology is therefore concerned with work as a social activity; Hence, anywhere work takes place, either developed or developing, simple or complex; Formal or informal, traditional or modern, it becomes an interest to Industrial Sociology; In these regard, once work takes place in African societies, Industrial Sociology is of relevance to their economies; Slide 10

11 Relevance of Industrial Sociology to Developing Economics cont. Furthermore, it is even possible to identify certain industrial processes taking place within these African societies; For instance, there is rapid industrialization occurring with the springing up of factories and industries in addition to the discovery of oil in commercial quantities; Hence, there is the need for Industrial Sociologist to study and understand the problems and challenges of industrialization in these economies. Slide 11

12 Relevance of Industrial Sociology to Developing Economics Cont. Moreover, since the whole process of industrialization is a historical one; Hence, the limitation of Industrial Sociology to any specific period or society is problematic especially; Since every society requires the production of goods and services through industrial organization; Also, the mining sector as well as other manufacturing sector of the Ghanaian economy provides an opportunity for the Industrial Sociologist to study the problems inherent in these sectors of production. Slide 12

13 Relevance of Industrial Sociology to Developing Economics Cont. Finally, with the discovery of oil in commercial quantities in Ghana, Industrial Sociology is of relevance to the Ghanaian economy; This is because by studying issues such as occupational accidents and hazards, health and safety of workers, managing local expectation; As well as union management relations among others, the problems of industries are brought to bare. Slide 13

14 Topic Three: Career in Industrial Sociology: Options and Job Requirement Industrial Sociology is generally a program that discusses the relationships between people in industrial settings, such as the workplace; Industrial Sociology courses teach students to examine the relationships between co-workers, management and employees and analyse how those relationships affect the work environment; There are not many degree programs specifically in Industrial Sociology, but courses in this field can be found in other majors, such as sociology or human resources management; market research. Slide 14

15 Career Options 1: Human Resources Specialist Human Resource Professionals investigate worker complaints, allegations of misconduct on the job and issues between employees; There are many different types of Human Resource Specialists, though; Generalists deal with everything, including recruiting, policy administration, payroll, benefits, and employee relations; Other professionals may choose to specialize in any one of these areas as recruiters; These workers often conduct employment interviews to assess the job candidate's skills and personality, Others determine whether a prospective employee fits into the organization's culture. Slide 15

16 Career Options 2: Sociologists Sociologists examine the behaviours and interactions of different social groups; Those who focus on Industrial Sociology may work as consultants to businesses, And these professionals often provide business leaders with recommendations on how to improve organizational teamwork and communication; Sociologists may also work as policy analysts, where they provide expertise and recommendations to various officials; Policy analysts interpret public opinion of current policies, which often involves analysing surveys and other datasets. Slide 16

17 Career Options 3: Market Research Career Analyst Industrial Sociology students may consider becoming market research analysts, who are professionals that review market trends to determine patterns that may be beneficial to various organizations; These analysts may apply their knowledge of human behaviour to developing marketing strategies for sales promotions, packaging methodologies, or social media networking; Market Research Analysts work in Marketing Research Organization and offer analysts the opportunity to earn the Professional Researcher Certification (PRC) designation. Slide 17

18 Topic Four: Techniques of Research Employed in Industrial Sociology Research techniques employed in Industrial Sociology are similar to those of general sociology; However, they are adapted to the special requirement of industrial phenomenon; Qualitative methods such as Focus Group Discussion, Key Informant Interviews and Participant Observations are used; Quantitative methods such as Questionnaires, Face to Face Interviews and Documentary Sources; The technique employed in any particular study is ideally determined by the nature of what is being studied. Slide 18

19 Reading List Refer to students to relevant text/chapter or reading materials you will make available on Sakai Hodson, R and Sullivan, T (1995). The Social Organization of Work. New York: Wadsworth Publishing Company. (Pages 35-62) Hirszowicz, M (1985). Industrial Sociology: An Introduction. London: Basil Blackwell Ltd. (Pages 10-25) Miller and Form (1964). Industrial Sociology: The Sociology of Work Organization. New York: Harper and Row Publishers. (Pages 11-35) Parker, R. S et al (2005). The Sociology of Industry. Sixth Edition. London: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group. (Pages 15-38) Slide 19

20 Activity/Assignment What is Industrial Sociology and how different is it from Industrial Psychology and Labour Economics. Slide 20